Inspired by the dish I had at a Uyghur restaurant in the neighbourhood. We loved this dish so much we ordered it twice in one week! So I decided we needed an at home version as well! Turns out it is super simple, and so flavourful!
What is Uyghur Cuisine
Uyghur cuisine (also call Xinjiang cuisine) comes from a region in central Asia, bordering with western China, Russia, India and Pakistan the flavours are exactly that – a mixture of all the flavours from its bordering countries. The best way I can describe it is very flavourful asian food. Not quite as sweet as Hakka cuisine tends to be, but not quite desi either. A good mix of both. I am a big fan!
I am not an expert by any means, but traditionally I believe this dish would be made with hand pulled noodles (called Laghman). But I wanted a quick and easy version I could make at home, so I got as close to the texture of a hand pulled noodle as I could with the udon style of noodle. Use whatever noodle you like, but I do love the texture of a larger chewier noodle in this dish. It helps soak up all that yummy stir fry sauce flavour!
If you like things spicy, this is a good one, as it is meant to have a bit of heat to it. Highly recommend this stir-fry. It would be great for a quick weeknight meal, or served at a dinner party.
Ginger Beef and Scallion Noodles Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 1 lbs thinly sliced beef flank or sirloin will work
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp oil
For the Stir Fry
- 200g udon noodles (or substitute for any thick noodle of your choice)
- 5-6 stalks green onion/scallion
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1-2 green chilli (optional)
- 1 green or yellow pepper, cut into 1 in small pieces
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 whole dried red chilli
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
For the Stir Fry Sauce
- 1/4 cup broth veg, chicken or beef
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Prep the beef – In a bowl mix together the thinly sliced beef, corn starch and soy sauce. Mix so the beef is well coated. Set aside by your cooking station.
- Prep the veggies – cut the scallions to separate the white from the green part. Dice the white part into small pieces. For the green part leave them longer by cutting them into 2 inch long pieces. Reserve a few stalks of the scallion greens for garnish. Mince the ginger, and garlic. Cut the green peppers into small 1 inch square pieces. Set aside by your cooking station.
- Prep the sauce – In a small bowl mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside by your cooking station.
- Cook the noodles – prepare the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large wok with 2 tbsp oil.
- Add the beef strips in a single layer. Do not mess with them for 1-2 minutes. Let them cook on medium high heat so the bottom parts that are touching the bottom of the pan get a nice golden brown caramelization. Once they start browning on the bottom, give it a stir and stir-fry till the beef is no longer pink. About 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same wok, heat another 2 tbsp of oil on medium heat. Add the minced ginger, garlic, whites of the scallion, whole dried red chilli, and green chilli, if using. Stir fry till fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the cumin and red chilli powder and stir fry for an additional 30 seconds. Add the stir fry sauce, greens of the scallion and green pepper. Allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Add the prepared noodles and stir fried beef and mix well to combine. Allow to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes for the flavours to come together. Taste and adjust for salt or spice level to your liking. This is supposed to be a slightly spicy dish!
- Serve warm topped with chilli oil and more chopped scallion greens for garnish. Enjoy!
